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Nonprofits · head to head

Bonterra vs Little Green Light

Bonterra logo

Bonterra

Nonprofits

The rolled-up parent of EveryAction, Apricot, CyberGrants and Network for Good, sold as three product lines

From
On request
Rated
-
Little Green Light logo

Little Green Light

Nonprofits

Affordable donor management for small nonprofits

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Little Green Light has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bonterra the three lines are separately acquired codebases, so buying two of them gives you two logins, two support queues and a connector rather than one system.; Little Green Light pricing is driven purely by constituent record count, so inactive and lapsed records still raise the bill
  • They diverge on capability: Bonterra covers Case management, Little Green Light covers Donor database.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bonterra and Little Green Light actually diverge.

Attributes where Bonterra and Little Green Light differ
AttributeBonterraLittle Green Light
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotesubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile-responsive
FoundedUnknown2008

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Nonprofits).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bonterra

  • Case management
  • Fundraising and engagement
  • Corporate grantmaking
  • Employee giving and volunteering
  • Outcomes reporting
  • Impact data connectors

Only in Little Green Light

  • Donor database
  • Prospect tracking
  • Relationship management
  • Task management
  • PayPal
  • Stripe
  • Google Drive
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bonterra

  • A human services agency that must report participant outcomes to a government funder and cannot do it in a donor CRMnot Little Green Light
  • A national advocacy organisation needing high-volume email, action alerts and distributed organising in one donor recordnot Little Green Light
  • A large employer running a global employee match and grant disbursement programme across many countriesnot Little Green Light
  • A nonprofit consolidating a legacy Salsa or ETO deployment onto a supported product within the same vendornot Little Green Light

Little Green Light

  • Donor management and gift tracking for small nonprofitsnot Bonterra
  • Segmenting constituents for appeals and mailingsnot Bonterra
  • Online donation forms with pay-as-you-go processingnot Bonterra

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bonterra

  • The three lines are separately acquired codebases, so buying two of them gives you two logins, two support queues and a connector rather than one system.
  • Legacy products absorbed in the roll-up, notably ETO and older Salsa modules, receive limited development while investment goes to flagship products, leaving those customers on a slowly ageing platform.
  • No pricing is published for any line, and quotes vary widely by contact count and negotiation, so benchmarking against competitors requires a full sales cycle.
  • Private equity ownership has produced repeated renewal price increases reported by customers, and the portfolio structure reduces the credibility of threatening to switch since several obvious alternatives are also Bonterra products.
  • Implementation for Case Management is a configuration project measured in months, and agencies routinely underestimate the internal staff time required to define forms and outcome measures.

Little Green Light

  • Pricing is driven purely by constituent record count, so inactive and lapsed records still raise the bill
  • The base plan is $45 per month for up to 2,500 constituents, rising to $135 per month at 50,000
  • Above 50,000 records each additional 10,000 tier adds $15 per month
  • An account is hard-capped at 200,000 constituent records
  • Online donation processing costs from 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction to the payment processor
  • The 10% saving requires annual rather than monthly billing

Pricing, plan by plan

Bonterra

On request
  • Bonterra Fundraising and Engagement$undefined/year
    • Donor CRM and email
    • Advocacy and organising tools
    • Priced by contact record count
  • Bonterra Case Management$undefined/year
    • Apricot participant records and assessments
    • Outcomes and funder reporting
    • Priced by user seats and programme count
  • Bonterra Corporate Social Responsibility$undefined/year
    • CyberGrants grant disbursement
    • Employee giving and volunteering
    • Enterprise contract, priced by programme spend

Little Green Light

Free
  • Up to 2,500 constituents$45/month
  • Up to 5,000 constituents$60/month
  • Up to 10,000 constituents$75/month
  • Up to 20,000 constituents$90/month

Which should you pick?

Choose Bonterra if

  • You need case management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want fundraising and engagement.

Choose Little Green Light if

  • You need donor database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile-responsive.
  • You also want prospect tracking.

Questions people ask

Is Bonterra or Little Green Light better?
Neither clearly leads. Bonterra starts at On request and Little Green Light at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bonterra or Little Green Light?
Little Green Light has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Bonterra and Free for Little Green Light.
Does Bonterra or Little Green Light run on more platforms?
Bonterra runs on Web, iOS, Android. Little Green Light runs on Web, Mobile-responsive.
Can I use Little Green Light for free?
Yes. Little Green Light has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Bonterra starts at On request.
What is Bonterra best used for?
Bonterra is most often used for a human services agency that must report participant outcomes to a government funder and cannot do it in a donor crm, a national advocacy organisation needing high-volume email, action alerts and distributed organising in one donor record, a large employer running a global employee match and grant disbursement programme across many countries, a nonprofit consolidating a legacy salsa or eto deployment onto a supported product within the same vendor. Of those, a human services agency that must report participant outcomes to a government funder and cannot do it in a donor crm and a national advocacy organisation needing high-volume email, action alerts and distributed organising in one donor record are not what Little Green Light is typically brought in for.
What can Bonterra do that Little Green Light cannot?
Bonterra covers Case management, Fundraising and engagement, Corporate grantmaking, Employee giving and volunteering. Little Green Light covers Donor database, Prospect tracking, Relationship management, Task management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bonterra: Is Bonterra a single product?

No. It is three product lines built from separately acquired software. You buy one of them, and integration between them is a connector rather than a shared database.

Little Green Light: How much does Little Green Light cost?

Little Green Light uses tiered pricing starting at $45/month for up to 2,500 constituents, scaling up to $135/month for up to 50,000 constituents. All tiers include unlimited users and all features. Annual prepayment offers a 10% discount.

Source
Bonterra: What happened to EveryAction and Apricot?

They still exist as the underlying products, rebranded as Bonterra Fundraising and Engagement and Bonterra Case Management respectively.

Little Green Light: Is there a free trial for Little Green Light?

Yes, Little Green Light offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, giving full access to all platform features during the trial period.

Source
Bonterra: Does Bonterra publish pricing?

No line has published pricing. Fundraising is generally priced by contact record count, case management by seats and programmes.

Little Green Light: What additional fees does Little Green Light charge?

Online donation processing charges 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction paid to the payment processor. There are no setup fees, cancellation fees, or contracts.

Source
Bonterra: Should a small nonprofit consider Bonterra?

Rarely. The entry price and implementation effort suit organisations with dedicated operations staff; smaller charities are better served by a single-product CRM.

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